british citizenship processing time

Hi All,

I have applied for British Citizenship through westminster NCS on 21 July this year on the basis of residence (ILR) and I received the acknowledgement letter 3 weeks later (the council having specified that in busy times it take 2-4 weeks). Since then no news.
I am entirely eligible for British citizenship, the only thing is that I am currently a jobseeker (since June this year) and I mentioned that on the application adding the fact that I was waiting for a response from the jobcenter on the jobseeker allowance.

Yet when I hear about people receiving their citizenship approval letters in 5/6 weeks I am curious to know what is wrong with my application, why is it taking longer than usual, and how long I will need to wait to hear back from home office.

Any colour please would be of paramount help.

chocho wrote:Hi All,

I have applied for British Citizenship through westminster NCS on 21 July this year on the basis of residence (ILR) and I received the acknowledgement letter 3 weeks later (the council having specified that in busy times it take 2-4 weeks). Since then no news.
I am entirely eligible for British citizenship, the only thing is that I am currently a jobseeker (since June this year) and I mentioned that on the application adding the fact that I was waiting for a response from the jobcenter on the jobseeker allowance.

Yet when I hear about people receiving their citizenship approval letters in 5/6 weeks I am curious to know what is wrong with my application, why is it taking longer than usual, and how long I will need to wait to hear back from home office.

Any colour please would be of paramount help.

chocho mate getting decision/approval in 5-6 weeks a thing of past but i think very few applications get decision in that time these days...

In general applications are taking 3-3.5 months...if you checks few posts on this forums there are some people waiting since april so there isn't anything unusual with your application...you just need to wait for few more weeks thats it... I know its painful waiting time...but dont post same thing in a number of threads here...

BC applicants are advised by the UKBA that applications could take between 3 - 6 months, so it's early days yet.

To put things in perspective: citizenship in this case is not your right but a privilege, and it is entirely up to the UKBA whether to grant it or not and how long they take to do so.

I think that applicants in this country are somewhat spoiled when you consider other EU/EEA/EFTA countries (e.g CH, NL, F) where naturalisation applications normally take years. Yes - years.

Having said this, I can appreciate your anxiety...

I think I have been misled by the few guys who have been granted citizenship in 5/6 weeks this year. It looks exceptional given what you say. And yes you're right BC, unlike benefits, is definitely not a right. So I will sit and wait. thanks for sharing your comments

BC is not even a privilege...it is a dream...I have been waiting for 8 months so far...no outcome yet.

Mine took 3 months, my wife's took exactly 1 months, my daugter's registration took 6 weeks... As you can see there is no exact timing so some people luckly get decision before 3 months some exactly some applicants wait more, so all you need to do wait and see... your appl. is new... Now appl. sent in may getting their approvalls so give them at least 3 Months then you can start calling them about progress....

Does anybody know why it is taking so long all of a sudden? I have a friend that applied in January, and it only took two weeks to get the Citizenship approval. Now it is taking that long just to get an acknowledgement letter!

winber wrote:Does anybody know why it is taking so long all of a sudden? I have a friend that applied in January, and it only took two weeks to get the Citizenship approval. Now it is taking that long just to get an acknowledgement letter!

this question is been asked so many times in different threads - wish we knew!

do a bit of a search in the lift after naturalisation (or something like that) thread... you will find ppl sharing ther opinions speaking to HO...

You will notice everyone is as clear as mud when it comes to Why it's taking so long!!

Good luck... btw; i am waiting too...

@shs213 Thanks for the reply, I'll have a read through that thread. One wonders if they have been instructed to go slow...

Good luck with your application too!

Has anyone considered the Summer holiday months, with staff taking annual leave?

Average time taken is 3 months, it got about 2 wks slow with Bank Holiday, Easter and fee going up.
The decision making process takes only 2 wks, its before and after that takes up time in a queaue.
Certain cases may take longer and that will depend upon individuals.
All the best to who are waiting. I can say for myself that sent during the rush period of April this year, my application had taken 10-11 wks.